Gas-engine.



E. HUBER. GAS ENGINE. APPLICATION FILE MAR. 5, |913- RENEWED AUG. I9.l9l4.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1,185,021, l Patented Apr.13,1915

E. HUBER.

GAS ENGINE. APPucAnoN mm um. 5, 1913. nfniwen Aue.

1,1 35,021, Patented Apr. 13, 1.915.

. a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ERNST HUBER, or BROOKLYN, Nnw'onx, AssIcNoR or cnn-HALF To WILLIAMMarsman, or BaooKLYN, NEW vrome Application filed March', 1913, SerialNo. 751,983. Renewed August T0 all whom t may concern Be it known thatI, ERNST HUBER, a cit1- zen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn,in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedv certain newand useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a.specification.

The object of my invention is to increase the eiciency and economy of'and to enable higher compression to be utilized in Otto, or four-cycleinternal combustion engines run with gas or volatile fuel; and to rendertheir cycles reliably uniform and uninterrupted. y 1

It is Well known that the economy of heat engines is almost directlyproportioned to the initial pressure utilized; and that, in four-cycleengines, as usually made, high compression is impossible becauseiitwouldv temperatures in and preignition of the el'plosive mixture, andconsequent interruptions in the cycle. I

My invention consists in improvementsln such engines and' in their modeof operation which enables me to build engines of such general type inwhich compression can vbe much higherthan has heretofore been possible,ignitiony is under control, the cylinder charge of explosive mixturecannot be fired accidentally or out of sequence and the engine runsreliably, with a perfect cycle.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an axial s ection of an engine embodying myimprove ments, and Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7"are diagrammatic viewsshowing successive stages in the engine-cycle.

My improved engine-cycle is based on a discovery made by Clement andDesormes duringthcir determination of the specific heat of'gases, toWitz-that when a highly compressedgas is permitted to flow, asuitably'regulafted passage, into a chamber containing a gas 'at lowerpressure, the compression o thev lattercauses'sensible heat, whichraises. its temperature and thereby cause excessivethe degree of itscompression. 'i'

l`he engine illustrated (Fig. 1) comprises a cylinder l, with a waterjacket 2, a piston 3, connected by a connecting rod 5`with a crank et ona main shaft 6,' suitably mounted in bearings 7 on a standard 8, andprovided with a iy wheel 9 which revolves with the arrow A secondaryshai't/ 11, is mounted on said standard parallel with and geared to the-main shaft by a one-to-two reducing Speclication of Letters Patent.

has fixed to it n sprocket wheel through Patented Apr. 13, 1915. 19,1914. Serial No. 857,608.

train comprising gears 19 and 18 on said main and secondary shaftsrespectively,

Fixed to the secondary shaft 1l are a cam l2 and a sprocket Wheel 23.The cam-shaft 20, suitably mounted on the bed plate 21, 24 connected bya chain 2,5 with and driven by the.

sprocket 23 and secondary shaft 11; and 8 cams, 22 and 59 which controlply, and 70, which operates a control the l communication of cylinderwith an air reservoir mary explosion chamber A, as scribed..

The supply of air and the exhaust are directly to and from the primaryexplosion chamber, through parts located in opposite limbs of its head26 and controlledvby the air-inlet valve 27 and exhaust valve, 28, whichare respectively seated by springs 29 and 80, and connected with thesecondary shaft 11 and its cam 12 by a lever train comprising a rockinglever 18, pivoted at 14, and'provided with a pin 15 heldin engagementwith the face of the cam 12 by a spring valve 55, to the engine B andpri- .16 strained between' said lever and a iXed medially piv- .inletvalve 27 while the latter operates the exhaust valve 28.

The above described organizations, while adapted to control thealimentation and eX- haust of a stationary engine, such as illustrated,and to causev it to run according to the fuel-supwill be dehead 26,hav-V i my improved cycle, are withal, non-essential,

and 1n engines of other types lmay be replaced by organizations of likefunctions but adapted to the particular uses for which 'such engines aredesigned.

"I will are essential, and comprise the construction of the cylinder,and the modes of supplying fuel and firing. I provide a primary.explosion chamber A, and an intermediate chamber or reservoi B, betweenit and the working cylindeI'C. `Fresh air is admitted to the primaryexplosion chamber vA through an inlet pipe 38 and passage 40 and theinlet port controlled by the inlet valve 27; which isv located nowdescribcthose features whichl 100 near one side of said chamber; and theexhausttakes place near the opposite side through the exhaust portcont-rolled by the exhaust valve 28, a passage 4l and an exhaust pipe39. rlhe primary explosion chamber A and reservoir B coinmunicatethrough a passage G6 formed in the separating partition 65protected by aHame proof 67, to prevent *pre-ignition, and located nearly in line withthe inlet port, about which a defiector 64 is arrangcd'to deflectincoming air toward said passage. The reservoir B communicates with theworking cylinder C by a U-shaped passage 42 which is controlled by avalve connected with and operated by the cam on the cam shaft 20 bymeans of a reciprocating' rack rod 56 which formed with a rack engagedwith a pinion fixed to the stem of said valve, and ivhose ofset headmounts a roller 58 which engages said cam TO. The drawing explosionchamber A as formed in a tubular extension of the' cylinder andseparated from one another and the Working piston C by thedscoidaljpartitions 65 and 43. But

`this particular oonstruction is non-essential.

lt is only essential that there be a primary explosion chamber throughwhich the supply of air and the exhaust are effected, and a reservoirinterposed between said chamber `and the cylinder and through which theycommunicate. y

Fuel from a suitable source l(not illustrated) is supplied by a fuelpipe 44, protected4 by a liame proof 45 and controllable by a hand-valve49, to aA fuel reservoir 46; and is thence led by a branch Q48controllable by ahand valve 50 and protected by a llame proof 60 totheprimary explosion chamber A and to the Working cylinder C by a branch 47controlled by a camoperated valve 51. Spark plugs P1 and P of knowntypes, are provided in the primary explosion chamber and cylinderrespectively for tiring charges therein. The supply vof fuel iscontrolled by the cams 22 and 59 on the cam shaft 20, as follows: rJ1`hefuel reservoir 46 is divided into a reservoir chamber a and inletpassage b by a diaphragm formed with a valve seat, and a puppet valve 54spring-seated thereon, which prevents engine-pressures from driving fuelback into the pipe 44 and is lifted at proper times by the cam '59 Withwhich its stem is operably connected. The branches 47 and 48 whichrespectively communicate with the cylinder and primary explosionchamber, open into the reservoir chamber, oneL below the other, intheorder named, at determined distances beneath' the normal surface of thefuel charge therein. The valve 51 in the branch 47 is connected with andoperated by the cam 22'on the cam shaft 20 by means of an arm 52 Aon thevalvestem and a suitably guided valve-rod 53 whose odset head mounts aroller 69 which l llocated by the cam l2;

shows the reservoir B and primary "rides said cam.` The hand-valves 49and 50' are set as experience and the demand for power dictate.

The above described fuel-control organization may be replaced in enginesfor other uses by another having substantially the same functions. l

My improved engine cycle is as follows: being described as beginning atthe end of the exhaust or scavenging stroke as shown in F ig. 2, andwhen the face of the piston is atl the line fm--m ot' Fig. l. At thisinstant the air inlet and exhaust valves 27 and 28 are both seated, thetappets 34 and 38 of the valve lever 32 having both been inactively theU-passage 42 is free, the valve 55 having been previously opened; thevalve 5l is closed and the cyl- ,Y

inder C thereby cut ofi from the fuel raser Voir chamber a; but thelatter communicates 'C with the fuel supply because the puppet 54 isunseated by the cam During substanf tially the first quarterofthesuction of supply stroke the valves 55 and 54 remain open and theviolent suction caused by the pistons advance, (from line m-m to line-w, Fig. l) causes the air-inlet valve 2T to be uriseated by atmospherepressure, fresh air to be drawn into the engine and fuelto be drawn intoand charge the fuel. reservoir chamber a and certain amount of fuel,depending upon the positions of the valves 49 and 50, to be drawn intothe primary explosion chamber A; but none can be drawn into the cylinderC, because the valve 51 is closed. The deector 64 deflects the greaterpart of the enterin air to the passage4 G6, air-reservoir B an` cylinderC andr prevents such air from carrying with it sufficient fuel to forman ex losive mixture; but a sufficient quantity o fresh air vcirculatesin A,the primary explosion chambertfii to form an' explosive'mixturetherein. 0bviously the measure of the suction is the resistance of thespring 29 of the inlet-valve 2i' or it may be of both the springs 29 and30; because by properly adjusting their strengths, the exhaust valve 28may be utilized to admit fresh air during this part of the suction andautomatically closev as soon as the valve lever fully opens 'the valve27.

When the piston has advanced to the line mem, Fig. 1, the cam 59 permitsthe puppet `'54 to seat and cutoff the fuel supply; and

tion stroke (Fig. 3) the lobe of the cam 12 passes the pin l5 and thespring 16 rocks the lever 13, swings the valve lever 32 to medialposition and withdraws its tappet 34 from and permits the air-inletvalve 27 to close; but the other valves areunaffected. During thegreater part of the compression stroke all the valves remain closedvexcept valve 55, which remains open until the com` pression'lias raisedthe temperature of the air charge nearly to the ignition point andthereupon, say when the compression stroke is three-quarters orthereabout completed, the primary lobe 71 of the cam 70 functions withraises the valve 55 and U-passage 42 and isolates the cylinder C, andlduring the remainder of the compression stroke the air therein iscompressed to the desired degree; but that in the reservoir B and theexplosive mixture in the primary ignition' chamber A are not furthercompressed and there is n0 danger of premature ignition, because thereis no explosive in the cylinder and that in the said chamber isseparated and not further compressed. At the completion ofthecompression stroke (F ig. 4) the primarylobe 71 passes and the recess 72of the cam 70, coacts' with and releases the rack-rod 56, whichretracts, opens 'the valve 55 and U- passage 42 and establishestemporary communication between the cylinder C and the reservoir and,primary combustion chambers B and A. Ifthe compression in said chambersA and 'B be nearly suiiiclient to have caused the temperature, ofignition, (say GO- pounds) and the' 'compression (say 12() pounds) inthe cylinder considerably higher, putting them in communication Willpermit 'air to iiovv from the cylinder into and compress and raise thetemperature of the air and explosive mixture in the reservoir andprimary explosion chami ber and automatically fire the latter; but tomake the cycle positive I provide the sparklplug P1 of known typethereon. At this instant, also, the cam 22-opens the fuel valve 51 andcommunication bet-'Ween the fuel reservoir chamber a and the cylinderC.The pressure due to the primary explosion expels the air from thereservoir Binto and considerably increases .the pressure and temperaturein the cylinder and at the same time .reacts through the branch 48 uponthe charge of fuel in the fuel-reservoir cham'v ber a and (the puppe-t54 being closed) forces a determined quantity of fuel through the branch47 into the cylinder; and in stantly thereafter, the second lobe 73succeeds the recess 72 of the cam 70 in coac-A tion With and extrudesthe rack-rod 56, closes the valve 55 and U-passage 42 and isolates thecylinder (Fig. 5) and the cam 22 closes the fuel valve 51.

The -fuel charged into the cylinder C rack-rod 56, closes the..

valves 55 and 51 being closed) the maximum pressure does only usefulWork by advancing the piston 3, and because it is therein' confined isnot Wasted by useless erqiansion-4 into the air reservoir and primarycombustion chamber. As the piston Iadvances the pressure in the cylinderfalls and substan Atially at the instant it has fallen to equality withthe pressure of the `gases confined in the reservoir and primaryexplosion cham- `ber,fthe second lQbe 73 of the cam 70' passes `therack-'rod 56t'and `permits it to retract,

open the' valve. 55 and connect and permit said confined gases to expandfrom'the pri- 'mary explosion chamber and reservoir into the cylinderand do useful Work upon the piston, as illustrated infFig. 6. Toward orat the completion of the power recess of the cam l2 yruns under strke,the the pin 15 and the spring 16 draws'the rocking and valve levers '13and 32 to exhaust position, and-the tappet 33 of the latter opens the:ex-

haust valve 28, holds it open during the en- 7); the valve 55 and U-'tire exhaust (Fig. passage remaining open as aforesaid. At the close ofthe compression stroke the cam 12 closes the exhaust valve, the cam 59opens the puppetivalve 54 and the engine begins another cycle. f

It Will be observed that the passage 42l discharges into the cylinder Cadjacent to and parallel with its end Wall 43, there is considerableclearance and the spark-plug P is located some distancev from\said wall.Therefore the air expelled from the air reservoir Will enter thecylinder parallel with. said Wall and behind the cylinder charge, andextrude and compress it; and in this Way I prolong the cylinder Withsaid air, enhance efliciency, reduce the initial Working pressure andfatten the diagram.

combustion in the It is evident that engines constructed as abovedescribed combine the economy of the Diesel with the siinplicityof theOtto or four-cycle system rendered positive and controllable; that thepressure of the-charge in' the cylinder can be very much higher thanthat in engines heretofore built, first, be-

cause said charge is not an explosive mixture until after the pistonpasses the dead center, and secondly, because its pressure is augmentedby that communicated to it from the primary explosion chamber; that thepower possible to develop in Otto-cycle engines as formerly built, withal cylinder and piston oft a denite' bore and stroke, is increased bythe combustion (not explosion) of a quantity of fuel not possible to usein such engines, but practicable to burn in this, with the air driveninto the cylinder from the air reservoir B by the primary explosion inthe chamber A; that the air expelled from the air reservoir into thecylinder and the 'products ot the explosion (inthe primary explosionchamber A) which so expel it, While passing through the narrow andsinnous passage formed by said chambers and the Upas'sage 42, absorbfrom their extensive walls heat which is made useful by maintaining thetemperature and pressure of such air and gases and ultimately increasingthe pre-ignition .pressure in the cylinder, in accordance with the lawabove referred to; and that isolating the cylinder, after it be,- ginsits power stroke (by closing the U- passage 4:2) connes therein thepressure due to the maximum charge and thereby prevents waste of thefuel supplied to the cylinder.; which waste occurs in known types ofengines designed for this general purpose, but which lack means toisolate ythe cylinder from its auxiliary chambers, during its powerstroke. x

if during any cycle, the charge in the primary explosion chamber A wereexploded prematurely, the engine would not be harmed, the cycle wouldnot be interrupted,

. and the only loss would be loss of efficiency,

lah

fuel and power. Disastrously premature explosionescannot occur in thecylinder C because no fuel is admitted to it until the substantialcompletion of the compression stroke, when the cam 22 opens the fuelvalve 5l. .Premature explosion-in thc primary explosion chamber A. wouldmerely cause undue pressure therein and in the air reservoir, becausethey would be isolated by the closed valves 55 and 5l; which at thecompletion of the compression stroke would be opened; and the cyclewould continue uninterrupted.

YVhile the engine illustrated and my iinproved cycie as described areprimarily intended for the use of volatile hydro-carbon fuels, it isevident that the cycle is perfectly adapted to the use of gas or convparati'vely non-'volatile fuels and that the scope oi my` inventionincludes engines whose successive operations occur in cycle as abovedescribed, howbeit their details are modified to fit them to useparticular fuels;

as 'for example .such as burn heavy oil and have jets or spray nozzlesto spray the fuel into the primary explosion chamber and cylinder toquickly form explosive mixtures with the air therein.

Having thus described my invention, lf claim:

l. An improved mode of operating reciprocating internal combustionengines having ryreservoir, and primary explosion chamber;

burning said charge therein; andenhausting the engine.

2. in improved mode of operating recipn rocating, internal combustionengines ing a power "cylinder and auniiiary cl bers connected therewith.by the tollewi sequenceot actions; viz. charging liu-ei into aprimaryexplosion chamber; admitting air V thereto and to the cylinder;compressing it;

exploding the charge in the primary coinbustion chamber while it is incoirrn nica.- tion with the cylinder; forcing an addi ion-ai charge offuel into'the cylinder 1oy the p1 cssure due to said explosion;isolatingl the cylinder; burning said charge therein; and hausting theengine. Y j

3. An improved inode of operating rec( roeating, internal combustionengines ing a power cylinder, and an air reservoir and a primaryexplosion chamber communieating therewith b a valve-controlled passage,substantially by the following sequence of actions, v'iz'gfcharging fuelinto the pri mary explosion chamber; admitting a charge of air throughsaid chamber into the air reservoir and eyiinder; compressing said aircharge; exploding the charge in the primary combustion chamber while itis still in communication with the air reservoir and cylinder; admittingadditional fuel to the cylinder; isolating the cylinder from the airreservoir, and primary explosion chamber; burning said charge therein;and exhausting the engine.

4. An improved mode of operating reciprocating, internal combustionengines haw ing a power cylinder, and an air reservoir and a primaryexplosion chamber communieating therewith by a valve-controlled passage,substantially by the following sequence of actions, viz z-charging fuelinto the priu mary explosion chamber; admitting a charge of' air throughsaid chamber into the air reservoir andcylinder; compressing said aircharge; exploding the charge in the primary coml'mstion chamber while itis still in couizuunication with the air reservoir and cyl- `1inder;forcing an additional charge of iuel into the cylinder by the pressuredue to said explosion; isolating the cylinder; burniugsaid chargetherein; and exhausting the engine.

An improved mode of operating reciprocating, internal combustion engineslieving a power cylinder, and an air reservoir and a primary explosionchamber communicatinpr therewith by a valve-controlled passage,substantially by the following sequence ot' actions, viz; charging fuelinto the primary explosion chamber; admitting a charge ol air throughsaid chamber into the air reservoir and cylinder; compressing said archarge; exploding the charge in the primary combustion chamber while itis still in communication with t-he air reservoir and cylinder; andthereby forcing air from the reservoir into the cylinder adjacent andsubstantially parallel with its head; forcing an additional chargeoffuel into the cylinder, at some distance from' and substantiallyparallel with its head, by the pressure due to said explosion; isolatingthe cylinder when the pressure therein substantially equals that in thereservoir and primary explosion chamber; tiring the charge in thecylinder' in such manner that its combustion will be initiated with theoriginal air charge thereof and sustained andprolonged with the air'from the reservoir; and exhausting the engine.

6. An improved mode ot' operating reciprocating internal combustionengines having a power cylinder and, communicating therewith l'iyaa'alrecontrolled passage, an air reservoir and a primary explosion chamber,substantially by the following sequence ot actions, ri-charging fuelinto .the primary explosion chamber, air reservoir and cylinder;compressing the air in said chambers to a pressure whose temperature isa determined amount less than the temperature of ignition and thereuponisolating the cylinder and completing compression therein;

opening communication between the cylinder, air reservoir and primaryexplosion chamber, firing the charge 1n the latter, and thereby forcingair from the air reservolr ,into the cylinder; substantially simultane-.rocating internal con'ihustion engines having a power cylinder and,communicating therewith by a valve controlled passage, an air reservoirand a primary explosion chamber, substantially by the following sequenceof actions, vizz-charging fuel into the primary explosion chamber;admitting a charge of air into the primary explosion chamber, airreservoir and cylinder; compressing the air in said chambers to apressure Whose temperature is a determined amount less than t'hetemperature of ignition and thereupon isolating the cylinder andcompleting compression therein; opening communication between thecylinder, air reservoir and primary explosion chamber; firing the chargein the latter, and thereby forcing air from the air reservoir into thecylinder; substantially simultaneously forcing a charge of fuel into thecylinder; isolatingr the cylinder; allowing the charge therein to expandsubstantially to equality in pressure with that of the gases confined inthe air reservoir and primary explosion chamber and thereupon openingcommunication among them; and permitting full expansion oi the entireproducts of combustion.

.ERNST HUBER. Witnesses EMiL MEIER' ARTHUR J. oRToN.

